VOA Newscasts

More radio

Thousands Evacuated After Moscow Metro Blazes

In this image made with a mobile phone camera, people leave a subway station in Moscow Wednesday, June 5, 2013. A rush-hour fire in Moscow’s subway injured dozens of people, forced the evacuation of thousands of commuters.

Two fires in the Moscow metro on Wednesday forced the evacuation of thousands of riders. At least seven people have been hospitalized and dozens of others injured.

Officials in Moscow say the first fire broke out between the Okhotny Ryad [Hunter's Row] and Lenin Library stations near the Kremlin on the metro's red line.

One rider, Kamil, who didn't give his last name, said the metro filled with smoke, which became unbearable.

Viktor Biryukov, spokesman for the Moscow department of the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry, said the blaze began when a power cable caught fire in the tunnel between the two stations.

Officials immediately made the decision to cut the power supply and switch off the electricity and, according to Biryukov, passengers were evacuated afterwards.

At least 4,000 people were forced out of the metro, spilling onto Moscow's streets during morning rush hour and creating havoc for people trying to get to work.

Several hours later, emergency workers say another fire broke out on the city's metro system at an undisclosed location. Officials say firefighters put out the small blaze with fire extinguishers. Emergency workers are investigating that second incident

Moscow has one of the most extensive and busiest metros in the world. At least six million people use the system daily.